MWA 2020 presented

The Winner of Mülheim Water Award 2020 has been determined.

The winner of the Mülheim Water Award 2020 comes from the Netherlands. The jury recommended the award for the project

Rapid test for Escherichia coli in drinking water: development, validation and regulatory approval

It is a new method for the detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in routine analysis that does not rely on the protracted cultivation of bacteria in cultures. The award-winning analytical method is based on a molecular biological approach, the propagation and analysis of bacteriological genetic material (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR). With only four hours, it takes less than a quarter of the time required to produce and analyse bacteria grown in culture. The RT-PCR method is also highly sensitive, i.e. it reacts to a low bacterial load. The prize winners have developed their method and successfully established it in drinking water analysis laboratory practice.

The project was carried out by a team of scientists from the KWR Water Research Institute and specialists from Dutch drinking water laboratories WLN, Vitens Laboratorium, Het Waterlaboratorium and Aqualab-Zuid. Representing the team, Leo Heijnen from KWR, Liesbeth Visser from Aqualab-Zuid and Rik de Vries from the WLN Water Laboratory accepted the prize.

The Mülheim Water Award is endowed with 10,000 €.  The winners were honoured during the 4. Mülheimer Wasseranalytisches Seminar (MWAS 2020) on 16th Spetember in the town hall of Mülheim.

Congratulations to the prize-winning team!

We would like to thank the numerous applicants who submitted their exciting projects for the Mülheim Water Award.

The next award will be presented in 2022.
Applications most likely can be submitted from December 2021 onwards.